Napster teams up with bootlegger

Napster has teamed up with punk band The Offspring, which has been selling bootleg merchandising bearing the MP3 digital music website's logo, instead of going down the litigation road.

The group has been offering a range of unauthorised Napster merchandising on its website. It has made no secret of the fact that it is pocketing the profits.

Napster, which is already involved in a number of copyright lawsuits, has agreed to sell a more comprehensive range of merchandising through The Offspring's website. All proceeds will go to charity.

"The Offspring have been great supporters of Napster," said Napster founder Shawn Fanning. "We are looking forward to working with them."

The move digs Napster out of an awkward hole. The company was in the uncomfortable position of having to sue one of its supporters over trademark infringement. Under US law, a company is required to defend its trademark.

Napster is currently being sued by the Recording Industry Association of America, rap artist Dr Dre, and heavy metal band Metallica for allegedly operating a means for music fans to pirate music.

Separately, MP3 enthusiast site MP3board.com has filed a lawsuit against the Recording Industry Association of America, claiming sites that link to pirated material should not be responsible for breach of copyright.